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66th out of 76 books
—
20 voters
Vine: An Urban Legend
by
Michael Williams (Goodreads Author)
Amateur theatre director Stephen Thorne plots a sensational production of a Greek tragedy in order to ruffle feathers in the small city where he lives. Accompanied by an eccentric and fly-by-night cast and crew, he prepares for opening night, unaware that as he unleashes the play, he has drawn the attention of ancient and powerful forces.
Michael Williams' Vine weds Greek T...more
Michael Williams' Vine weds Greek T...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
March 28th 2012
by Blackwyrm
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Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from the author as part of a virtual book tour. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Review: Dear Mr. Williams,
You don’t know me, but there are some things I’d like to tell you befor...more
Review: Dear Mr. Williams,
You don’t know me, but there are some things I’d like to tell you befor...more
I was initially intrigued with the premise and idea of this book, the style is that of a stream of consciousness with plenty of pop culture references thrown into the mix.
After the first couple of chapters I kept thinking “this will take off in a minute” yet it never did. I really wanted to like this novel but I really struggled with it.
I hate to criticise as I understand how much work and self-sacrifice goes into the writing of a novel, but I found this story difficult as I could not relate t...more
After the first couple of chapters I kept thinking “this will take off in a minute” yet it never did. I really wanted to like this novel but I really struggled with it.
I hate to criticise as I understand how much work and self-sacrifice goes into the writing of a novel, but I found this story difficult as I could not relate t...more
"If you string together a set of speeches expressive of character, and well finished in point and diction and thought, you will not produce the essential tragic effect nearly so well as with a play which, however deficient in these respects, yet has a plot and artistically constructed incidents." - Aristotle, Poetics
in Louisville, mortals and gods conspire together and/or apart from each other as the production of The Bacchae , a Greek tragedy by the Athenian playwright Euripides goes underway....more
in Louisville, mortals and gods conspire together and/or apart from each other as the production of The Bacchae , a Greek tragedy by the Athenian playwright Euripides goes underway....more
When I heard that Michael Williams, who co-wrote many of the books in the Dragonlance fantasy series, had a new book out, I was very interested to read it. I really enjoyed reading the Dragonlance books in the 80s, and looked forward to seeing how Williams' personal writing style read.
Vine: An Urban Legend, is nothing like Dragonlance, but that is not a bad thing. Vine interweaves characters from Greek mythology with the story of a modern retelling of the story of Dionysus, god of wine and exces...more
Vine: An Urban Legend, is nothing like Dragonlance, but that is not a bad thing. Vine interweaves characters from Greek mythology with the story of a modern retelling of the story of Dionysus, god of wine and exces...more
Vine is a Greek tragedy framed in a modern context. Just like in his previous novel, Trajan's Arch, Michael Williams hints at the interconnectedness of things beyond our control. Williams uses fascinating examples about how, tragically, both gods and men are doomed by their frailties. One of my favorite examples of this theme is when the teens are playing D&D and Aaron, the DM, kills off Jack's character because he is jealous of Jack's relationship with Maia. This parallels other examples in...more
I am going to be honest… I can’t give this book a rating. I gave it 5 stars on goodreads because I don't have the option of "not rating it" and I didn't want to leave it blank because that doesn't reflect my thoughts.. here is why
I don’t think I was able to fully appreciate what Williams accomplished because I am somewhat culturally illiterate; my Greek mythology and knowledge of ancient Greek literature is way too rusty to help in my understanding of the story. I was able to grasp the author’s...more
I don’t think I was able to fully appreciate what Williams accomplished because I am somewhat culturally illiterate; my Greek mythology and knowledge of ancient Greek literature is way too rusty to help in my understanding of the story. I was able to grasp the author’s...more
This is a book that defies description. It is part retelling of The Bacchae, part urban legend, the line between the two often blurring in this mind-bending read.
Written in the style of a Greek play, this work may look a little foreign to the eye of the average reader; who in most cases, has not seen such since high school or college. Don't let the arrangement of the text deter you from what is truly a wonderful story.
At it's heart, this is a story that shows what can happen when the works of ma...more
Written in the style of a Greek play, this work may look a little foreign to the eye of the average reader; who in most cases, has not seen such since high school or college. Don't let the arrangement of the text deter you from what is truly a wonderful story.
At it's heart, this is a story that shows what can happen when the works of ma...more
When I first signed up to be a part of the Vine Blog Tour I was really excited. I love Greek mythology and I love seeing different authors take on it. Vine sounded like an interesting book and I was intrigued by it. However, after reading it this book just wasn't for me.
I have said this before and I'll say it again: I am a fast paced kind of girl. I need for the book to jump out and grab me on page one and not let me go until the final page. I know there are people that enjoy slow developing plo...more
I have said this before and I'll say it again: I am a fast paced kind of girl. I need for the book to jump out and grab me on page one and not let me go until the final page. I know there are people that enjoy slow developing plo...more
If you get intoxicated with words, VINE: AN URBAN LEGEND is the book for you.
The characters are clear and distinct, but multiple points of view show each one from different perspectives. Wine -- or any alcohol -- is sort of famous for blurring your vision and judgment, and there's something of that in VINE. Does that mean what I think it does? Did that really happen? Please tell me that isn't what it looks like.
I volunteered with Shakespeare In Central Park in Louisville, Kentucky, many long ye...more
The characters are clear and distinct, but multiple points of view show each one from different perspectives. Wine -- or any alcohol -- is sort of famous for blurring your vision and judgment, and there's something of that in VINE. Does that mean what I think it does? Did that really happen? Please tell me that isn't what it looks like.
I volunteered with Shakespeare In Central Park in Louisville, Kentucky, many long ye...more
Michael William’s Vine is an ambitious work, masterfully executed. The story, centered on a rag-tag community theatre production of Euripides’ tragedy The Bacchae, is told in the form of a Greek tragedy, with the narrative of the characters interspersed with chapters from the meddling Muses, and others from a chorus making pithy barbs of insight into the darker side of society and human nature. The use of metaphor becomes hypnotic, before shocking the reader back into the lives of the misfit cha...more
I was delighted by this book from the first page. Written vaguely in the style of a Greek play -- or, a choral novel, as Williams explains in his Author's Note -- there are narrative 'episodes' and various commentaries, ranging from the Muses to the homeless itinerants.
Set in Louisville, Kentucky, the story follows a handful of players -- Stephen Thorne, once-disgraced high school teacher who now runs regional theater; his band of scrappy teen thespians, some of whom might just be literally divi...more
Set in Louisville, Kentucky, the story follows a handful of players -- Stephen Thorne, once-disgraced high school teacher who now runs regional theater; his band of scrappy teen thespians, some of whom might just be literally divi...more
This book is an amazing work. This is a intelligent, well written, entertaining tale. It is a Greek Tragedy set in a modern day urban legend. Many people have tried this but Williams has succeeded. The way he told the story was wonderful. I enjoyed the structure of the book and how the story unfolded. This book is for people who love plays, history, mythology.
This was a really excellent book. It strays a great deal from the rules of traditional storytelling, but that's all part of the scheme, and patient readers will be rewarded with a mythic and atmospheric drama that gets under the skin and stays there long after the story is finished.
This story had a unique concept as it reads like an ancient play, not a novel. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to connect with the set-up, or the characters.
I felt that the story jumped around without a central plot. Just as I was beginning to understand and become interested in a specific character’s story, the book jumped away to someone else entirely and seemed to start over. This disconnect led me to give up on reading the book.
I felt that the story jumped around without a central plot. Just as I was beginning to understand and become interested in a specific character’s story, the book jumped away to someone else entirely and seemed to start over. This disconnect led me to give up on reading the book.
Dec 27, 2012
Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Mallory Anne-Marie by:
free book dude
Shelves:
december-2012-reads
Review will be posted after publication at Free Book Dude on Dec. 29
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Michael Williams was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and through good luck and a roundabout journey through New England, New York, Wisconsin, Britain and Ireland, has ended up less than thirty miles from where he began. Over the past 20 years, he has written a number of strange novels, from the early WEASEL'S LUCK and GALEN BEKNIGHTED in the best-selling DRAGONLANCE series to the more recent lyrical...more
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